Harvey Jay Chamberlin Obit

HARVEY JAY CHAMBERLIN, 90, of Brainerd, passed away at Woodland Good Samaritan Village in Brainerd. He was born on Nov. 26, 1935 in Roscoe, Nebraska to Harvey and Janice (Weeks) Chamberlin in the back of the family's small town grocery store. His father was a pastor and they moved many times. In his early teen years his family moved to Higgins, TX to operate a hatchery which was destroyed by a tornado, killing his father in 1949. In 1953 Harvey graduated from North Platte High School and attended Rocky Mountain Bible Institute in Denver, CO where he was introduced to Karen. Harvey married Karen Ralston on Dec. 16, 1956 in Orleans, NE. In their early years of marriage they lived in Denver, CO. In 1961 they moved to Cozad, NE and then relocated to Minnesota in 1964 where he worked as a machinist while living in Coon Rapids. As a family they spent summer vacations camping, and later on canoe trips to the BWCA, the longest trip being three weeks. He was a 4-H leader and had many hobbies: photography, building radios, rock/mushroom hunting, enjoying poetry, enameling, cooking, and making Christmas candy. In 1976 they moved to Deerwood when he took a job with Deerwood Automatic Products. In 1979 they opened Karen’s Cakes Specialties, and shortly after Harvey changed careers and joined his wife in the bakery. The bakery operated for 17 years first in Deerwood, then in Crosby and was known for its caramel rolls, large assortment of breads, delicious sandwiches, and beautifully decorated cakes. In retirement they relocated to Clinton, MO and lived there for 13 years, spending summers in Minnesota. Moving back to Deerwood in 2017, they purchased a small home. Where most grandparents play peekaboo with their grandkids, Harvey set his own tradition of playing “bumble bee, bumble bee,”  “trot trot,” or telling The Big Toe by the campfire. You often could find Harvey holding the new babies of the family and had a knack for getting them to nap. Harvey was his family's whole world. Just shy of 70 years of marriage, his love and devotion for his wife Karen was admirable, he cherished her immensely. If you were lucky enough to have known him you knew he always had a dad joke, a tune to sing or a new puzzle to solve. You never left his house without a smile on your face or giving him a fisherman's handshake. Harvey is survived by his wife Karen; two sons, Harvey (Audra) Chamberlin of Deerwood and Richard (Berdine) Chamberlin of Deerwood; three daughters, Candace (James) Marohn of Pillager, Tamara Welzant of Duluth and Rhonda (John) Dicken of Germantown, MD; one sister, Lynn Bloomfield of Montrose, CO; 23 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren, and nine great-great-grandchildren. Preceding Harvey in death are his parents; one sister, Daphne Chamberlin, and two brothers, Donald and Gerald Chamberlin. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at the Bible Baptist Church in Crosby. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday. Burial will be at the Scandia Cemetery in Deerwood. Arrangements are with the Koop Funeral Home in Crosby.